Wildest Dreams
by Heeeycourtney
Summary: After the death of Beth's parents, Rick Grimes, an old friend of the family, offers to take Beth in and be her legal guardian until her 18th birthday. Daryl Dixon, Rick's best friend with a damaged past, comes face to face with an unfamiliar blonde girl when he stops by to see Rick. AU – no zombies. Slow burn Bethyl. Rickyl bromance.
1. Chapter 1

"You sure ya don't just wanna come stay with me an' Glenn in Atlanta?" Maggie spoke to Beth as if Beth was a scared little puppy that would run away from her if she made any sudden moves. Beth had been through hell this past year but she was stronger than Maggie thought.

"Don't worry about me, Maggs. I'll be fine here with Rick. I just have to finish this last year at school then…"

"There's high schools in Atlanta, Beth." Maggie interrupted as they placed a couple of the boxes into the back of the pickup truck.

"Maggie, I'm a semester and a half behind on all my classes and the only reason I haven't been kicked out for lack of attendance is because the principal knows my situation." Beth argued.

Beth had stopped worrying about school when her mother's condition got worse. After Annette lost her battle with cancer, the small town's only high school had given Beth some time off to be with her family. Once she finally felt like she could join her peers in class again without breaking down at any small reminder of her loss, her father's own medical conditions took a turn for the worse. Hershel had his foot amputated only two months after his wife's death. He had always managed his diabetes well but with the stress of his wife falling ill then passing shortly after, he neglected his own health more than he should have.

"That's the last of the boxes." Glenn approached the Greene sisters and packed the final box into the bed of the pickup truck that was parked in front of the farmhouse that the girl's called home. It was painful to see their childhood home empty and lifeless now but Beth couldn't stay there alone because she's still a minor and Maggie wasn't going to move back in so the girls agreed to sell the house and the land. So they packed most of the home's items into Maggie's U-Haul truck and Beth's pickup and donated the rest.

The three of them stood around the back of the truck in an awkward silence. It was time to go their separate ways but Maggie wasn't ready to say goodbye to her little sister yet and she definitely wasn't ready to cry for the one hundredth time since she got the call about her dad. Both girls felt like the past couple of weeks had drained the life out of them.

"I'll be fine, Maggs." Beth repeated when she noticed the tall brunette staring at her own feet uncomfortably. Finally tears fell from both girls at the same time and Glenn walked away to give the sisters some privacy. They spent another fifteen minutes hugging and reassuring each other that they would be okay and stay in touch.

Beth put on a tough act in front of Maggie but once the older sister drove off with Glenn, she allowed herself to sob in the pickup as the farmhouse shrank in the rear view mirror the further down the road she got. Beth was strong, she would get through this, but it still hurt like hell and she had no idea what the next year had in store for her at her new home.

Although Rick just lived in the next town over, it was still a 45 minute drive from the farmhouse to the Sheriff's house. By the time Beth pulled into the driveway, the sun had begun to set. She could see the lights on in the house and realized that Rick had probably just woken up and was getting ready to leave for work. The sheriff started working the night shifts after his wife, Lori, left him for his deputy, Shane, and took their only son with her. Beth couldn't imagine what it must be like to have to work with someone who would do that to their "friend" so she definitely didn't blame Rick for switching shifts.

Beth got out of the truck right as Rick had come outside to greet her.

"Hey." His hair was wet, probably from just showering and he looked like he could still use an extra couple of hours of sleep.

"Hey." Beth repeated his greeting as she made her way to the bed of the truck to grab a box.

"Here, let me help with some of those." Rick grabbed a box and placed it on the ground then grabbed another and placed it on top of that one. He picked them up by the bottom of the first box and made his way up the concrete steps towards the front door. Beth followed him to the only bedroom that was on the first floor of the home. The walls were painted light blue and the bed was dressed in all white bedding with a white-painted metal headboard. Opposite of the wall that the bed was pushed up against was a large window in the middle of the wall that looked out to the front yard and house across the street.

"This was the guest bedroom but it's yours now. You can decorate it however you like. My room is upstairs and so is Carl's. He's here every other weekend so you won't see much of him." He placed the boxes down on the floor and stood in place for a moment waiting to see if Beth had any questions. When she didn't say anything, he cleared his throat and made his way out of the bedroom.

"I'll go get the rest of your boxes."

"Thank you." She was glad that her room was downstairs and Rick's was upstairs. She loved Rick like an uncle but she needed her space.

The rest of the night was spent unpacking after Rick left for work. After feeling satisfied that everything was in the right place, she decided to take a look around the house. It wasn't as large as the farmhouse she was used to but it was a nice house and felt cozy. After browsing the house, she ended up in the kitchen and realized she was actually quite hungry. However, when she opened the fridge, the most she found was some eggs and a gallon of milk. She made a mental note to tell Rick that they needed to make a trip to the grocery store.

She decided to just take a shower and get some sleep. She had to wake up extra early the next day to make the 45 minute drive to school. She hadn't been to school since her mother died and she was nervous about what being back would be like. She hadn't talked to her old friends in what felt like forever and she wasn't even sure if she felt like being social anymore. She'd rather just get caught up with her assignments then come home and be alone.

She wasn't the same girl that she used to be. She wasn't even sure who she was anymore.

Two weeks had gone by and Beth and Rick had already fell into a comfortable routine. She would wake up early in the mornings and make breakfast for her and Rick to eat together in comfortable silence when he got off of work. Then she would go to school, come home, do homework, clean up and do laundry, start dinner, eat with Rick before he left for work, then rest for the evening. She felt more comfortable here in her new home than she had expected originally. Carl had spent last weekend with them and she was surprised at how much he kept to himself. She didn't mind though, she mostly kept to herself too.

It was now Saturday and Rick didn't have work so she wouldn't need to wake up early and make a meal. Beth was thankful for the extra sleep she was getting this morning. That was until she heard a knock at the door. She threw the blankets off of her body and dragged herself to the front door, groaning the whole way. Her hair was a mess and she was only wearing a tank top and short cotton shorts but she didn't care. The person at the door would be lucky if she didn't yell at them for showing up unannounced so early. But of course she wouldn't do that. Beth had been through a lot this past year but that didn't make her bitter. It made her stronger.

She reached the door and played with the locks until she got it unlocked and opened. A man's chest covered with a sleeveless flannel shirt and a leather vest was what she saw at eye level. She had to lift her chin and raise her eyes to meet the face of the visitor. The man was tall and unfamiliar to Beth. He had long brown hair and squinty blue eyes that looked confused at the sight of her. He looked like a rough biker guy that she would avoid at all costs if she were walking alone outside at night. She realized instantly that she should have looked through the peep hole before answering the door.


	2. Chapter 2

"Uh… Rick here?" Daryl wasn't even trying to hide the confusion on his face or in his tone of voice.

"He's sleeping." She replied just as confused. _Maybe he's a friend of Rick's_ she thought to herself.

"Can I come in?" He asked politely even though he had no idea who this little blonde girl was. _Maybe she's Carl's friend_ he thought to himself, though that wouldn't explain why she was here this early and looked like she had just been sleeping. There is no way that Rick would let Carl have a girlfriend stay the night.

Beth didn't reply. Instead, she opened the door wider and allowed him inside then shut it again once he was already making his way up the stairs. She shrugged to herself and decided to go clean herself up since apparently they had company over now.

When Daryl made it to Rick's bedroom door, he didn't even bother knocking. He had questions and needed answers.

"Rick!" He said loudly so that the sleeping man would wake up without Daryl having to awkwardly shake him out of his slumber.

Rick woke up with a start, quickly reaching for his gun that he kept on the bedside table.

"Woah, man. It's just me." Daryl said quickly with his hands lazily thrown half up in the air.

"Sorry. What are you doing here?" Rick asked as he dragged his hands down his face in an attempt to rub the sleepiness from his tired eyes.

"Just got back in town. Who's the blonde chick downstairs?" Daryl asked as he looked around the room for evidence that the girl had been sleeping in this room with his friend. He didn't want to pass judgement because Daryl was definitely no saint but he didn't know how he would feel if he found out that Rick was sleeping with someone who looked old enough to be his son's girlfriend.

"Oh. That's Beth, Hershel's daughter. A lot has happened since you left... Hershel passed away." Rick explained sadly, still sitting up in the bed with the blankets around his waist but not making a move to get up considering he was only in his underwear.

"Oh shit. I'm sorry man." Daryl knew that Hershel and Rick were close, especially after Lori left him. Rick needed the old man's wise words to get him through the very rough time.

"So she's staying here with you now?" Daryl just wanted to clarify.

"Yeah." Rick answered.

"Well get dressed an' meet me downstairs." With that, Daryl turned and walked out of the room closing the door to give him some privacy. He hoped the girl had put some clothes on because he felt kind of uncomfortable with her creamy long legs on display for the men in the house. It's what gave him the wrong impression to begin with.

Sure enough, he found Beth in the kitchen making what he hoped was breakfast for everyone because he hadn't eaten since the day before. She now had her curly blonde hair up in a lazy pony tail with a small braid and a sweater over her tank top but she was still wearing the shorts. Daryl silently wondered how Rick was handling having this girl living in his home. He hoped she wore more clothes around him than what Daryl was seeing right now because Rick may be a good man, but he's still a man nonetheless. Daryl knew that if this girl had been staying with him and walking around his apartment like this, he wouldn't be able to keep control of his thoughts.

Daryl hadn't noticed but he was standing in the entryway of the kitchen just staring at Beth while she gathered ingredients from the fridge and placed them on the counter. It wasn't until she turned around and jumped at the sight of him that he realized that he had been silently staring, which just confirmed his theory about not being able to control his own thoughts. He quickly pushed himself off of the wall he was leaning on to stand up straight but kept his arms crossed.

"I didn't hear you come down. You scared me." She explained almost breathless.

"Sorry." Daryl was used to being silent. He was a hunter, after all. He realized that he was still staring when Beth didn't break eye contact and waited for him to explain who he was and why he was in her house. He moved his eyes to the floor and walked towards the island in the kitchen to grab an apple that was in a bowl with several other different fruits.

"I'm Daryl, Rick's friend." He explained before taking a large bite of the juicy red apple.

"Yeah, I figured. I'm Beth, a friend of Rick's too I guess." She felt pretty awkward. How was she supposed to explain to this stranger her relationship with Rick? It wasn't like he wanted to hear her pathetic life story about everything that had happened this past year that landed her here in Rick's home.

Daryl grunted in response and turned his attention back to the apple. The girl made Daryl feel small despite being half his size. Maybe it was the way she looked at him like she didn't understand why the hell he was in her precious presence. Or maybe Daryl was overthinking it. He always got self-conscious around women, that's why he built walls upon walls around his heart. Daryl grew up with his big brother Merle telling him that pretty girls don't want rednecks like them. He eventually believed it to be true, he was trash and it was best to stay away from women.

Daryl stopped glaring at Beth when he noticed Rick walk into the kitchen.

"Morning, Beth." He said with a small smile.

"Morning." She returned the smile then went back to work on the breakfast she was preparing.

"We got enough to feed this freeloader too?" Daryl let out scoff at Rick's choice of words to describe him.

Beth just smiled and nodded her head at the men. She liked seeing this friendly side of Rick. He usually stayed quiet and kept a serious expression on his face unless Carl was around.

"So how was your trip?" Rick asked as the men took their seats at the breakfast table.

"Ya act like I was on vacation or somethin. I wouldn't call driving a big rig across the country a _trip_." Daryl scoffed.

Beth hummed a song quietly to herself as she listen to the men chat. She wasn't technically eavesdropping, since they sat a few feet away from her and spoke freely knowing she was in hearing distance. But she was taking notes in her head about the rough-looking man in her kitchen. He's a truck driver. That explains why he hasn't been over to the house since she moved in two weeks ago. He was driving his truck across country, he said. It also explains why he looks like he's in desperate need of a shower.

The men continued their conversation as Beth worked on the meal. She was making bacon, eggs, and biscuits with gravy. It was her dad's favorite breakfast meal. Her heart ached at the thought of her dad but she didn't cry anymore. She couldn't. When she finished the meal, she brought over three plates to the table along with three napkins, three forks, and three empty glasses. Next she brought a gallon of milk and a jug of orange juice. Then finally, she brought the food and placed it in the middle of the table for the men to make their plates.

Daryl was surprised at how good the food was. He couldn't remember the last time he had a home cooked meal like this one. He spent most of his time at diners on the road and he definitely didn't get this kind of treatment from his mother or father when he was a kid. Daryl finished his second plate and listened to Beth and Rick talk about something he couldn't care less about when he decided that now would be a good time to step out for a smoke.

Beth broke eye contact with Rick when she realized that Daryl had opened one of the glass doors that led to the back yard and stepped out to light a cigarette. Her eyes then landed to the dirty plate that was left on the table where Daryl had just been sitting.

"I'll get it." Rick said as if he read her mind. He grabbed Daryl's empty plate and placed it on top of his own as he got up to put the dirty dishes in the sink. "Lori invited him over for dinner once and she swore she'd never do it again. He's got the worst manners." Rick said with a chuckle. Beth was glad to see that he could still smile at the thought of his unfaithful wife.

"I can see that." Beth said without a hint of bitterness in her tone. She didn't care if the gruff man couldn't say thanks or put up his dishes. She was just glad that Rick had a smile on his face this morning. And if Beth was being honest with herself, she didn't mind Daryl at all. He seemed decent enough and she found it pretty amusing the way he practically inhaled all of the food he stacked up on his plate.

"Got any plans for the day?" Rick asked right as Daryl was coming back inside.

She could smell the lingering cigarette smoke odor from across the room and instantly thought about getting some fresh air. "I'm gonna go visit my mom and dad today then finish my make-up assignments for school. What about ya'll?" She asked in return.

"I think we're going to the range today. We'll be back for dinner." Rick said as he looked over to see Daryl nod at him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Leave me some reviews, guys. I'm still not sure where I'm going with this story so if ya'll have any ideas, let me know.**

That night dinner went well and Beth was beginning to like it when these two men got together. They were always joking around with each other and making her giggle. Beth was still getting used to Daryl but by the end of the night she realized that he wasn't as bad as he looked. Sure, he could use some better table manners and a shower but he was a decent guy. Daryl was still certain that Beth only saw him as redneck trash and the fact that she laughed at him every time Rick told a joke at his expense only supported his theory.

Why did he care so damn much about what this bitch thought of him? She's like half his age! Though part of him knew it wasn't about her. It was his own insecurities that had been branded into his mind years ago when Merle had made Daryl the butt of all of his jokes and verbal abuse. But it still bothered Daryl to be around this precious princess. Her parents were dead and she still had a home and people who cared about her. Daryl couldn't think of a single person in his life who cared about him, other than Rick.

It didn't matter anyway. In two weeks, he would be back on the road. But the thought of Beth's judgement wasn't going to stop him from hanging out with his friend before he hit the road again. And the home cooked meals weren't exactly keeping him away.

Another week had gone by and Daryl had come over three times for dinner since that first day he showed up at the door step. Beth was becoming more and more annoyed with him after catching him multiple times glaring at her and rolling his eyes whenever she spoke. She doesn't know what she did to piss him off but she was growing irritated with his cruel attitude. He was joining them for dinner again tonight but at least she would have Carl there to keep her occupied.

When they all sat down around the table, Beth was sure to take the seat next to Carl. They still didn't know each other that well but Beth was hoping to change that tonight. Daryl took the seat across from Carl and next to Rick. Thirty minutes had gone by since they cleared their plates but they stayed seated, both pairs of people busy with their conversations. Rick and Daryl were talking about taking a hunting trip sometime next week and Beth and Carl were talking about school.

"You should transfer once you get caught up." Carl proposed.

"Yeah, I might do that. I'm getting tired of driving almost an hour to school every day." Beth replied sweetly.

Daryl couldn't help himself from eavesdropping. It seems as though the _children_ were hitting it off. He didn't mean to be bitter but she had a way of getting under his skin.

"Let's take Carl." Daryl said to Rick not realizing that the idea came out of jealousy. His subconscious was willing to do anything to get these two kids away from each other. They were still on the topic of the hunting trip and the boy's ears picked up at the sound of his name.

"Take me where?" Carl asked looking at his dad.

"Hunting. You wanna go?" Rick asked.

They males in the room continued discussing the details of the trip while Beth decided to take this opportunity to clean up. She started grabbing the guy's empty plates one at a time to take them to the sink. When she got to Daryl's, he snatched it out of her grasps rudely and spat out "I got it!"

The other guys at the table were so caught up in their conversation, they didn't notice Daryl's outburst. He got up and followed her to the sink, tossing the plate on top of the other ones she just place down. Beth had had enough.

"What is _wrong_ with you? Did I do something to anger you because if I did I'm sorry but this attitude you've been giving me is _bullshit_." Beth whispered angrily so that the other men in the room didn't hear her.

"Nah, you didn't do nothin." He said curtly as he turned and walked towards the back door for a smoke break.

She threw her middle finger up at his back and was surprised at herself with her actions. She wasn't usually one to curse or flip someone off but Daryl was pushing her buttons. She wondered if she should talk to Rick about his _friend's_ behavior but soon decided against it. She didn't want to come between the two of them.

Beth couldn't sleep that night. She was really letting this man get to her. She lied in bed trying to come up with a plan. How could she handle this situation? The rational side of her wanted to just ignore him and avoid him the best she could. But the more daring side of her wanted to get back at him for the way he was treating her. She knew she didn't do anything to deserve this and she could tell that he wasn't usually like this because he was nice and friendly towards Rick and Carl.

Was he sexist? Was he jealous of her relationship with Rick?

Finally Beth had a plan and she couldn't wait to wake up tomorrow and put her plan into action. Daryl was going to regret the way he acted towards her, she was certain.


	4. Chapter 4

Beth woke up the next morning and rushed to the bathroom to get ready. She felt so inspired by her plan, she even put on a little makeup today. A grin was plastered on her face as she made her way to the kitchen to start breakfast. Why was she so happy this morning? Was it really because the thought of torturing Daryl was that exciting? She didn't overthink it. She grabbed her iPhone to put on some music so she could sing and dance while the donuts were frying.

"And we'll buy a beer to shotgun. We'll lay in the lawn, and we'll be good." She sang her favorite song in an upbeat rhythm and swayed her hips from side to side. Today was going to be a good day. Or so she thought. Not twenty seconds went by after that thought when she heard someone clear their throat behind her. Beth nearly jumped out of her skin and burned herself on the frying pan in the process.

"What the hell?!" She demanded of Daryl.

"Sorry." He wasn't. The smirk on his face told her so.

"Don't you have your own home? Why are you always here?" The burning sensation on her hand was making her brave. It hurt like hell and she was not going to let this one go. Or at least she wasn't planning to, until Rick walked into the kitchen.

"Morning, Beth." Rick said with his usual smile.

"Morning." Beth had to fight to keep the irritation out of her voice.

It turns out that Daryl slept on the couch last night so the guys could leave early in the morning to run some errands and get everything they need for the hunting trip. Rick had work all week until next Saturday so they couldn't really wait to get the supplies. All Rick did during the week was sleep and work, poor man never had any time for himself until the weekends.

Beth listened to the men go down the list of things they needed to buy for the trip and she decided that now would be the best time to speak up. She hadn't originally planned to do this in front of Daryl, hoping that it would come as a surprise next weekend, but now she thought she couldn't wait to see the look on his face.

She had the attention of all three guys in the room as soon as she placed the homemade glazed donuts down on the middle of the table. She could see Daryl shooting daggers at her with his eyes but she didn't care. She held her chin high and spoke with confidence.

"Hey Rick, I want to ask ya something." She held eye contact with Rick and tried to look as sweet and innocent as possible. When she knew she had his full attention, she continued.

"I know it's not polite to invite myself but I was really hoping you guys could take me with ya'll next weekend. I've never been hunting before because my dad…" Beth was cut off by no other than Daryl.

"Ain't gonna happen." Whatever good mood he was in when he smirked at Beth earlier, was long gone now.

Beth had to forcefully stop herself from rolling her eyes at Daryl. But she didn't want to lose the innocent act she was playing so well. She knew that Rick wouldn't be able to tell her no when she was being this sweet. Instead of yelling at Daryl, she forced her face to make an expression that was sad and hurt.

"I don't see what would be the problem with letting her come." Rick said to Daryl.

"It's dangerous. She could get hurt." Daryl argued, not even sure if what he said was an excuse or his true feelings towards the idea of Beth coming.

"So could Carl." Rick replied. "Maybe we shouldn't let either of them come. It's not fair to let Carl and not Beth."

Beth had to laugh a little inside. The two men were bickering like they were co-parenting. But the amusement didn't last long. Beth realized that she might have made a mistake when Carl jumped into the conversation.

"What?! Dad, no! This is bullshit. I'm going with ya'll!"

"Watch your mouth!" Rick rose his voice at his son.

"You know what, never mind. I never should have said anything. Ya'll go and have fun. Maybe I'll drive up to Atlanta to see Maggie or something instead." Beth had a worried expression on her face and the sweetest tone in her voice. She was still hoping the arguing would stop and they would agree to let her go with them.

"No, you and Carl can _both_ go hunting with us." Rick said with finality in his voice, looking around the room at everyone one at time.

Yes! She did it. Beth snuck a peek at Daryl and was pleased with how he looked like his face was going to turn bright red and smoke was going to come out of his ears like in the old cartoons. He got up quickly and stepped outside for a smoke before he lost his cool.

"Thank you, Rick. I won't get in the way, promise." Beth said gratefully.

"Don't worry about Daryl. He'll come around. I think he's just being protective towards you." Rick tried to defend his friend but Beth knew better. Daryl couldn't stand to be around her. That's exactly why she wanted to go with them on the trip. She knew he'd be pissed at her for doing this. Good. She was pissed at him too.

Half a week went by and Daryl was still fuming. He hadn't been back at the Grime's house which meant he was at home with Merle most of the time. Daryl thought that he'd rather be around Merle right now instead of Beth but he was starting to reconsider.

"What's the matter Darlina? You and Officer Friendly break up or somethin?" Merle asked after the third day of Daryl staying home for dinner.

"Shut up." Daryl hated when Merle joked about him being gay… and a woman.

But Merle wouldn't let up. They sat on the old worn out couch in the dimly lit apartment and went back and forth with each other for another ten minutes before Daryl did something he instantly regretted.

"Man, you don't know what you're talkin about! We're goin huntin this weekend." Daryl let the words slip before he had a chance to think it through. All he wanted was for Merle to stop using the term "broken up" like he and Rick were some damn romantic couple and not just friends.

"Aw, ain't that sweet. The love birds are takin a trip together. Gonna shack up out in the woods together?" Merle mocked.

"Man, shut up! He's bringin his kid and…" Daryl stopped himself before he mentioned that Beth would be joining them.

"Well then I guess he wouldn't mind if ol' Merle came along too." It annoyed Daryl to know end whenever Merle spoke in third person. Though Merle thought it was hilarious when they were kids.

Shit. Now Beth _and_ Merle were going and Daryl could not think of any better components for a disaster waiting to happen.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys, I know these chapters are pretty short but I've been uploading everyday and plan to continue doing so. So bear with me. Also, this chapter is pretty slow, Bethyl - wise, but I promise next chapter is full of Bethyl. Leave me some reviews and let me know what you guys think. I really enjoy reading them. Thanks. 3**

Rick was driving home from work at 6:00 AM that Saturday morning. He had just spent the past 10 hours patrolling the county streets and arresting drunk drivers that had a little too much to drink on Friday night. He wasn't too tired, but he was looking forward to getting a small nap in while Daryl drove the whole 2 hours it takes to get to the hunting cabin. He was still fighting off a headache from the argument he and Lori had yesterday about taking Carl with him on the trip.

Rick knew that neither Carl nor Beth had a hunting license, but also knew that Daryl was friends with the park rangers because his dad had made him and Merle go on hunting trips with him since they were old enough to walk. The rangers knew what kind of man Daryl's father was, but they weren't qualified to do anything about the abuse because they worked for Georgia's department of natural resources, not Georgia's state law department. So the rangers were always extra friendly towards the brothers. Daryl assured Rick that there wouldn't be a problem getting the teenagers in.

When Rick arrived at the house a little after 6:00, he could see Carl and Daryl packing the supplies into the bed of the truck. They were already dressed for the hunt and Rick wondered momentarily if anyone had woken Beth up yet.

"Mornin." Rick greeted his son with a tired smile and turned to see Daryl sporting an angry, very annoyed look on his face. Before Rick could question his friend's sour mood, Merle Dixon walked out from behind his house carrying fishing poles and a large tackle box to the truck that he gathered from the shed in the backyard.

"Heeeey, Officer Friendly. Hope ya don't mind but I haven't been huntin since I got out of the slammer last winter. Thought I'd tag along with my baby brother." Merle Dixon was probably Rick's least favorite person.

 _Seven years ago, Rick had just started out as sheriff and got a call from an old biker bar out on the edge of town. Apparently, some junkie was causing trouble and starting fights. When Rick and Deputy Shane pulled up to the bar, Daryl was trying to get his brother under control. But Merle was stronger, and Daryl ended up on his back with a black eye and a bruised rib. Rick was able to outsmart Merle though, and had him handcuffed to a pipe on the side of the building in less than ten minutes. Turned out, Merle was high on meth and some other hard drugs and even tried to cut his hand out of the cuffs but Rick got to him before he could do any real damage with the pocket knife._

 _That night, Daryl had asked Rick, who was a stranger to him at the time, to take his brother to jail and get him some help from the state if he could. It broke Daryl's heart to see his brother so lost and messed up but he fought the tears back and buried the memories of his father's similar behavior. Merle stayed in jail for 3 days but Rick was unable to do anything more for the addict. Daryl decided that day that he couldn't be around his toxic brother any longer than he had to, and as fate would have it, he got a job driving trucks a week later. Finally, he had a reason to get out of town every other month or so._

Rick rolled his eyes at Merle but decided to be polite for Daryl's sake. The last thing he wanted was trouble from the oldest Dixon, especially if Merle was going to be around Carl and Beth the whole weekend. "Nah, I don't mind. The more, the merrier." Rick lied with a warning tone in his voice. He looked to Carl and spoke again.

"Beth awake?"

"Yeah, she's packing breakfast." Carl answered.

"Ah, Rick. Got yourself a girlfriend, huh?" Merle mocked. "And here I was thinkin you and my baby brother were gettin it on."

"If ya don't shut the fuck up, ya ain't comin!" Daryl yelled, growing increasingly worried about Merle being around Beth.

Beth appeared outside a moment later with four plastic containers full of 2 breakfast burritos each. She was wearing ripped jeans, floral cowboy boots, and a yellow tee shirt. When she noticed all four men staring at her, a worried expression graced her features.

"What? Should I change?" She thought maybe her outfit wasn't hunting appropriate. But she didn't know any better. She's never been hunting.

"No, it's fine." Rick assured her. "Did you pack some more clothes? We're staying until late Monday?"

"Yeah I did, but I left it inside." Beth began passing out the breakfasts and realized that there wasn't enough for everyone. When she reached Merle, she handed him the last container that was meant to be hers. The unfamiliar man looked her over from head to toe and gave her a flirtatious smirk.

"Well thank ya lil lady. My brother didn't tell me that such a pretty girl would be joining us." Merle winked at Beth and the gesture sent an involuntary shiver down her spine. This is Daryl's brother? What a creep. She instantly noted the difference in personalities between the brothers. Daryl was definitely not as creepy as Merle and she found herself liking Daryl a little more now that she met his brother.

Beth let out a nervous laugh and quickly turned around to go grab her overnight bag from her room.

"Ain't she a lil young for you, Rick?" Merle joked when Beth was no longer in hearing distance.

Rick explained who Beth was to him in an annoyed tone and warned him to leave her alone.

"So don't make me cuff you to a tree." Rick added, referring to the first time they met.

"Ya don't have to worry about me, Officer Friendly. I prefer my women with a lil more experience." Merle joked.

Daryl was about to curse Merle out but stopped himself when Beth came back outside. She threw her bag into the bed of the truck. After Rick ran inside to change clothes and grab his overnight bag, they were ready to hit the road. The five of them piled into the truck from both sides, Daryl in the driver's seat, Merle in the passenger's seat, and Beth, Rick, and Carl in the back seats.

As planned, Rick slept the whole way to the hunting grounds. Carl listened to music on his iPod and Beth did some light reading from an eBook she downloaded on her phone. The brothers in the front of the truck argued about who would have the biggest kill by the end of the weekend before falling into a tension filled silence. Daryl was really not happy about Merle crashing their trip, even more unhappy than he was about Beth crashing it.

When they arrived at the site, Daryl and Merle had to do a little convincing with the park rangers to get the teenagers in with them but weren't entirely successful. The rangers liked the brothers but they felt uncomfortable risking their jobs to let the young ones hunt without a license. But they came to an agreement in the end: Carl could observe but wasn't allowed access to a gun and Beth was only allowed to fish in the lake.

The team took what they could get and were given directions to the hunting cabin that they would be occupying for the next couple of days. They had to pay for a larger cabin since they all agreed that Beth would need her own room, being the only girl amongst four men. The cabin had two small bedrooms, one bathroom, a small kitchen area, and a sitting area with a couple of couches. Beth took one bedroom, Rick and Carl shared one, and Daryl and Merle were to sleep on the couches. Once they all got the truck unloaded and settled into the cabin, they decided to get started on their hunt.

Beth was allowed to fish but didn't know how. She wondered briefly if any of the guys were going to stay with her to teach her how or at least keep her company. Carl was too eager to see the men hunt and Merle wasn't really allowed to be alone with Beth because he didn't know how to behave appropriately. Rick decided that he was still too tired to hunt so he offered to accompany Beth at the lake.

Beth and Rick took the truck to the lake while the rest of the guys walked to their preferred hunting spot. The first hour at the lake was spent with Rick teaching Beth the basic skills of fishing. The next hour was spent with small talk before the conversation eventually became denser.

"Lori's pregnant." Rick admitted. He hadn't told anybody else yet because the pain of not knowing if the child was his or Shane's kept him from doing so.

Beth's eye shot open in shock and she stayed quiet for a moment, realizing on her own that the unborn child may or may not be his.

"Are you okay?" She asked kindly.

"I don't know. I feel like I can't catch a break. First Lori left me, took Carl, then your dad died, and now this." Rick said honestly as he ran a hand through his hair.

Beth stared at Rick for a moment and finally let herself notice the toll that the stress was taking on his appearance. He had dark circles under his eyes, his beard was unkempt, and he desperately needed a haircut.

"Yeah, I know how you feel. Losing both my parents within a year has been the hardest thing I've ever gone through. But you can't let life's difficulties get you down. You gotta keep your head up and stay strong. That's what Momma always told me." Beth said with a sad smile.

Rick looked over at the girl next to him and offered an appreciative smile for the advice. They stayed quiet for a while after that and relaxed to the comforting sound of the birds chirping and the fish splashing in the water. Beth looked over to see that Rick had fallen asleep in the fold-out chair and she was left alone with her thoughts. First she thought about her mom and dad and wondered if they were looking down on her from heaven. But before she knew it, her mind had wondered to thoughts about a certain hunter with angel wings on his back.


	6. Chapter 6

Rick and Beth arrived back at the cabin several hours before sundown. Rick wanted to get some proper sleep in a bed and Beth wanted to start on dinner. They brought just enough groceries to last them the next couple of days because Beth had written out a list of all the ingredients she would need for the meals she had planned to make in the cabin and Rick was sure to grab them while out running errands with the other guys last weekend. Tonight, she decided on a meaty dish for the hunters.

Beth smelt the men approaching the cabin before she saw or heard them. Merle was the first to come through the door and Beth wasn't surprised to hear him teasing Daryl about how Daryl apparently missed the shot of the buck. Merle had a smug look on his face and winked again once he and Beth made eye contact. She hoped he would stop doing that before she had to tell him to stop herself. Carl came in after Merle and took off towards the restroom before Beth could get a word in with him.

Finally Daryl came through the door and Beth realized that he was the main source of the stench. He looked like he had been sweating all day and he also had some dead squirrels hanging off of the loop of his pants. She also noticed that Merle carried no squirrels yet held onto a large hunting rifle. She had silently hoped that they didn't plan on asking her to cook the small tree animals. But Beth didn't find a firearm in Daryl's hands. It was then that she noticed a strap on his chest and a large weapon on his back. A crossbow.

Beth realized that she was staring when she finally brought her eyes back to the archer's face. He was giving her his signature squint but for once his expression held no malice in it. He looked like the day of hunting and bickering with his brother had really worn him out.

"Dinner's almost ready. Ya'll should go clean up, you smell really bad." Beth said awkwardly to the brothers in the room with her.. She noticed that she sounded like her mother just then. It made sense, she had taken on the role of housewife/mother ever since she moved in with Rick. Rick was supposed to be taking care of her but she's really been the one taking care of him. But she didn't mind, Rick needed all the help he could get since Lori left.

"Yes ma'am." Merle threw her a sly smile.

After dinner, everyone was too tired to do anything but rest. They decided to call it a day and the members of the group all retired to their assigned sleeping accommodations. But Beth tossed and turned in the small cot for about an hour, unable to fall asleep. She wasn't sure what was keeping her up but assumed it was because she wasn't comfortable in this unfamiliar place. She needed some air. Pulling an oversized cardigan over her tank top, Beth made her way out of the confining bedroom.

As quietly as she could, she closed the bedroom door behind her and risked a glance at the brothers on the couches. Merle looked like he popped several pain killers that he didn't need and was passed out, half of his body nearly falling off the couch. Daryl had an arm thrown over his face, the other hand resting on his stomach. The couches weren't nearly big enough for the men and they didn't look very comfortable. She wondered how they were able to sleep right now.

Finally, Beth successfully made it out onto the front porch of the cabin without waking anyone. She stood for a moment, taking it all in. The moon was full and bright, the stars were endless, and the trees danced in the wind. Beth couldn't remember the last time she had witness something so beautiful or peaceful. She was about to walk down the steps of the porch when she heard the door to the cabin open and close.

Beth didn't have to turn to see who it was. She was getting good at sensing when he was around. Like the way gooseflesh rose on her skin when he watched her, she felt it even if he was just staring at the back of her head. He was doing it now, because she refused to turn around to face him. She had come out here for peace and he was too quick to take that away from her. She heard him drop something onto the floor of the porch before he approached her.

"Did I wake you up?" She asked dryly. She really couldn't care less and made sure that her tone of voice told him so.

"Nah, just wanted to make sure ya weren't stupid enough to step off this porch." Daryl couldn't stop being protective of this girl that wasn't even his responsibility.

"And if I did? If I wanted to go for a walk?" She dared him.

"Guess I'd have to hunt ya down before ya got yourself lost out there. Or before ya got found by the others." Daryl was trying to scare her.

"What others?" She asked, finally turning to face him.

"The other hunters out there." Daryl said with a nod towards the forest around the cabin. "There's tons of other cabins out there full of men who get their kicks by killing for sport. They ain't the kinda men you wanna run into alone at night, trust me."

" _You_ kill for sport." Beth argued. "And you're not _that_ bad." Beth started to think about Merle and how he must be the best example of the men Daryl was talking about. Predatory.

Daryl grabbed Beth by the forearm and roughly pulled her towards him so that his face was inches from hers.

"You got no idea what I'm capable of." He spat out and let his eyes run the length of her body. "I could break you like a twig an' the only reason I don't is for Rick."

Beth would have ran away screaming right then and there if it weren't for the ridiculous amount of tension that now resonated between them. When he looked her body up and down she felt a wave of… _something_ … crash through her stomach and her whole body suddenly felt hot. Daryl kept a tight hold on Beth, only letting go when he noticed her cardigan fall off of her right shoulder, exposing her creamy skin and tank top strap. She shyly pulled the cardigan over her shoulder again and took a step back, but decided not to run even though he was no longer holding her there.

Something in his eyes told her that he wouldn't hurt her, even if she knew he could. She was finally putting the puzzle pieces together. It was like the more time she spent with him, the more things made sense. There was no real depth to his threat.

"You don't get to treat me like crap just because you're afraid." Beth's voice was barely above a whisper.

"I ain't afraid of nothin." Daryl was her in face again.

Beth assumed that the reason behind Daryl's behavior was his fear of letting himself enjoy having a real family, even if it weren't blood. Because that's what they were now, or at least that's what they were on their way to becoming. Beth, Rick, Daryl, and even Carl. They ate dinners together, laughed and spent time together, _took trips together_ … all like a family. Beth was starting to see that Daryl didn't have that, he's never had that. Just by meeting Merle, she got the sense of exactly what kind of family Daryl had and it was the complete opposite of what Beth grew up with, that much was obvious.

"God forbid you ever let anybody get too close." She was louder now, growing angrier by the second.

"Too close, huh? You know all about that. You just lost two parents an' you can't even shed a tear!" He shot back. He was trying to hurt her now, trying to push her away, as far away from him as she can get.

"Screw you. You don't get it." He had no idea how many tears she's shed for her mom and dad.

"No you don't get it! You can't even see past the goddamn bubble you're living in. The world ain't as pretty as you think it is, _princess!_ You think we can all just sit around the campfire singing kumbaya, but that's not what we're doing here!" Suddenly, Daryl had an idea. "Hey, you ever shot a crossbow before? I'm gonna teach ya right now. Come on, it's gonna be fun."

He grabbed his crossbow off of the floor and held it up in his right hand while grabbing Beth by the wrist with his other hand. He dragged her with him down the steps of the porch and through the trees, hoping that she was finally starting to get scared. He needed her to get scared, so scared that she would stay away from him from now on.

"We should stay inside. Daryl, cut it out! DARYL!" She wasn't afraid though, not of him. But she couldn't see two feet in front of herself out here with the trees blocking the light of the moon.

He continued pulling her along with him until they were well into the woods. Daryl was looking around for something to shoot, anything. He caught sight of another squirrel, too distracted by the nut it was eating to notice him load the crossbow. He lifted the crossbow and the squirrel finally took notice of the hunter, but it was too late. Daryl shot an arrow right through the squirrel's tail and into the tree trunk that it tried to run up for safety. It was trapped now, unable to escape.

Daryl reloaded the crossbow.

"You wanna shoot?" He asked but was already pulling Beth's body roughly against his so that her back was to his front and his arm was hooked across her chest.

"I-I don't know how." She stuttered.

"Oh, come on it's easy." He said as he pulled the crossbow up again and letting another arrow fly through the air. This time, the arrow hit the squirrel's leg.

"Let's practice later!" Beth offered. She was feel guilty about the poor squirrel stuck on the tree.

"Come on, it's fun." He reloaded again.

"Just stop it Daryl!" Beth begged.

"Come here!" He said as he grabbed her again and laced his arm across her chest for a second time.

He pulled the trigger again but time, the arrow missed the squirrel by mere centimeters. Daryl was good but not when a teenage girl was struggling to break free from his grasp.

"Just kill it!" She begged. She wanted the poor squirrel to be put out of its misery.

Daryl let Beth free and reloaded. This time the arrow went right through the eye of the animal, killing it instantly.

"What is _wrong_ with you? Don't you feel anythin?" Beth felt like she was on the verge of tears.

She hadn't expected Daryl to do that. Hell, even Daryl was a little surprised at himself. But at least he succeeded, she looked completely terrified. Before he could say anything else, she took off running in the direction that they came.


	7. Chapter 7

**Trigger warning: sexual assault suggested**

Beth was too distracted by the memory of her fight with Daryl to pay attention to which way she was running. She kept replaying his words over and over in her mind. How dare he bring her parents into this, he didn't even know them! And who does he think he is, grabbing her the way he did? Beth had never been so angry in her whole life.

Finally, she could see the back of the cabin through an opening in the trees. She made her way around it, hoping no one had woken to find both of them gone. All she wanted to do was lock herself inside of her temporary room until it was time to leave this suck ass camp. But as Beth turned the corner of the cabin, she quickly realized that she had ended up at the wrong cabin when she caught site of three strange men smoking on the porch. They noticed her instantly and her heart felt like it fell from her chest to her stomach when they began to catcall and whistle at her.

The three men looked like they too belonged to a biker gang, like Daryl. But she pushed the thought of him out of her mind and began thinking of ways to get out of this situation. If she ran, she would probably end up even more lost than she already was. Not to mention, these men were hunters. They could chase after her and track her down if they wanted to. But it didn't matter because they were already making their way over to her, surrounding her. It was too late to run.

The man directly in front of her, obviously the leader of this group, had grey hair and a grey goatee. He seemed friendly but Beth knew better. The man to her right had long dark hair and a full beard. He was thin and wore a black hoodie that was way too big on him. And the man to her left was black man that wore a bandana on his head.

"This here's a fine piece of ass, Joe. I claim the first round." The man in the oversized hoodie said without taking his eyes off of Beth's body.

"I claim second!" The black man said in a hurry, apparently not wanting to miss his chance.

"Easy, fellas." Joe warned. "This poor girl is probably just lost. Not lookin for any trouble, ain't that right sweetie?" He asked her, again trying to seem friendly.

"I was just… looking for my dad." Beth lied. "He's around here somewhere." She was sure that they knew she wasn't telling the truth and it made her heart beat even harder.

" _I_ can be your daddy for tonight." Oversized Hoodie Man said, stepping closer to Beth.

"Back off, Len! You're gonna scare her off!" The black man spoke up.

At this point, Beth was sure that she would be violated. There was no way that she could fight off all three of these men and no one back at the cabin even knew where she was. If she were lucky, she could get the attention of any park rangers in the area by screaming as loud as she could right now. And Beth was about to do just that when Len reached his arms out to grab her, but the sound of Daryl's voice stopped her.

"Hey! Get your fuckin hands off her!" Daryl had his crossbow aimed at Len and was very tempted to shoot but Len quickly grabbed Beth and pulled her to him like a human shield to stop the other archer from pulling the trigger.

Joe and the other man didn't miss a beat. They had their hand guns pointed at Daryl in an instant and demanded that he "don't do anything stupid."

"Let's just put our weapons down so we can figure out what's the problem here." Joe said, this time without a trace of a smile.

"Ain't gonna happen. Let her go." Daryl said, not taking his eyes off of Len.

"A bow man, huh? See, any man can shoot a rifle, but a bowman's a bowman through and through." Joe paused to size up the angry man in front of him. "You pull that trigger, these boys and I are gonna drop you several times over. That what you want? Come on fella, suicide is stupid. Put it down."

When Daryl didn't say anything, Joe realized that the game was over. This could either end in a blood bath, or he can let the archer walk away with the girl. Joe wasn't interested in going to prison again so he opted for the latter.

"Let her go, Len." Joe ordered while still not taking his eyes off of Daryl. "Fun's over."

"Let's teach this fool a lesson." Len offered, not wanting to let Beth go without having his fun first.

"You know the rules, let her go!" Joe yelled. The rules were simple to Joe, claim what's yours but don't get caught by the law.

Len whispered something inappropriate in Beth's ear before pushing her towards who he thought was her dad that she spoke about earlier. With shaky legs, Beth ran towards Daryl and stood behind him. But rage was vibrating through Daryl and it took everything he had in him to walk away. When the men in front of him put their guns down, Daryl did the same with his crossbow and lightly grabbed Beth's bicep, walking her backwards with him until they were hidden by the trees.

They practically ran back to their cabin but neither of them said anything until they saw they made it back to the front porch.

"You hurt?" Daryl asked once the rage faded away and he was calm again.

Beth shook her head, unsure of what to say to him now. She was still so mad at Daryl. He was the one who had dragged her into the woods in the first place. But then again, running away had been her choice. She ran, not because she was afraid of him, but because he had pushed her to her limit. So should she blame him for what just happened, or thank him for saving her from Joe and his men?

Before Beth could come to a conclusion, Daryl did something that he never does. He let his walls down.

"Damn it, I'm sorry Beth," was all he could muster.

She saw the pain in his eyes and knew that he hadn't meant her any real harm. It's like she said, he wasn't as bad as he seemed. Even when he was acting like a jerk, it wasn't the real him. She knew it.

"It's okay, Daryl. You didn't know." She tried to convince him.

"Yeah I did. I even told you about the other hunters, but I let you run off. That's on me." Daryl was the kind to beat himself up for his mistakes and this was no exception. He turned his back to her, unable to look her in the eye. He felt ashamed of himself.

"No." Beth said, shaking her head. She reached for his arm but he roughly shrugged her off.

"If I hadn't have found you when I did…" He trailed off.

Before Beth realized what she was doing, she threw herself onto Daryl's back and wrapped her arms around him, silently begging him to understand that she didn't blame him and that he shouldn't blame himself.

Daryl was not expecting the embrace but he didn't shrug her off this time. He welcomed the awkward hug and was relieved that she didn't hate him. He thought that that is what he wanted, for her to hate him, but not for this. Not for ruining her life. She could hate him for being a jerk, he could live with that, but if those men had their way with her, he'd hate himself too.


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you for the reviews, guys. Keep them coming. I need ideas. I really want to bring Michonne into this story but I don't know how to go about that. I don't want to casually throw her in because I want to keep her true to her character in the show so she needs to be a badass in my story too. Anyway, thanks for reading.**

It was Monday afternoon now and the team was packing up the truck. Daryl and Beth hadn't said anything to the others about what happened Saturday night. Their whole relationship had changed overnight, literally. But no one seemed to notice. Hell, they didn't even notice when they completely hated each other. But Beth didn't hate Daryl anymore. She wasn't even sure she ever did. He was a jerk to her for a long time but she saw right through him.

Rick offered to drive back home since he didn't need the extra sleep in the back seat of the truck like he had on the drive up to the cabin. In fact, Rick couldn't remember the last time he felt so well rested. He had slept almost 12 hours straight at the cabin after dozing off at the lake with Beth that first day. The night shifts hadn't been treating him well but it was still better than seeing Shane's face every day. He had hoped that hunting could relieve some of his stress but it was short lived. The 2 hour drive back home had provided him with nothing but time alone with his thoughts because he certainly wasn't interested in engaging in conversation with Merle, who was sitting in the passenger seat next to him.

Daryl had considered riding next to Rick in the front of the truck, but the thought of Merle in the back seat with Beth made Daryl feel uneasy. Daryl had taken the window seat in the back, while Beth sat in the middle between him and Carl. He wanted to complain about the lack of space and leg room that the back seat provided but every time Beth's shoulder or knee brushed his, he bit his tongue. Her cheeks lit up like a damn Christmas tree and it confused the hell out of him. But he wasn't going to yell at her anymore. He wasn't going to push her away because he had already done that once and look at all the trouble it caused.

Beth had finished her eBook back at the cabin on Sunday. She didn't really enjoy fishing and there was nothing else to do while the men went on their hunt so she had spent the whole day reading on the porch while soaking in the sun. Therefore she was left with nothing to do during the ride back home. Carl was listening to music on his phone again and Daryl was sitting on the other side of her, blowing his cigarette smoke out of the window. She wondered what he was thinking about and hoped that he wasn't still beating himself up about what happened that night. She had done everything she could think of to convince him that it wasn't his fault. Beth never imagined that she would wrap her arms around Daryl Dixon. Especially not immediately after almost being sexually assaulted by a group of dirty strangers. It had been an interesting weekend, for sure. But she was ready to get back home, back to normal.

Before Beth could stop herself, she dozed off between the two guys in the backseat. She had been so lost in thought, she didn't notice that the truck's movements were soothing her to sleep. Minutes later, Rick made a right turn at a stoplight that caused Beth's head to fall onto Daryl's shoulder which brought the archer's attention back into the car. He quickly met Rick's eyes through the rearview mirror when he realized what had happened.

"Sorry." Rick said, not thinking too much of it.

Merle turned around to see what Rick was apologizing about and smirked at his brother's awkward body language.

"She ain't gonna bite ya, Darlina. Quit being such a pansy." Merle commented, annoyed. He really did wonder about his little brother's sexuality from time to time. Merle knew that Daryl had been with a woman before but that was years ago and he made no effort now to bring women home with him. It confused Merle because Merle chased pussy around like his life depended on it but his brother acted like he couldn't care less.

When Beth opened her eyes, the truck was parked in front of the Grime's house. They were home, finally. Still disoriented from the nap, Beth lifted her head and looked over to see that it was Daryl that she had been sleeping against. He made eye contact with her for a moment before giving her a tight lined smile and opened the door to escape the awkward situation. She shook off the embarrassment and followed after him.

God, it felt so good to be out of that truck. Beth reached down to touch her toes in an attempt to stretch her legs then stretched her arms over her head as she brought her body back upright. She turned around to grab her phone from the back seat then closed the door then jumped and yelped when she saw Merle, who had been hidden moments ago by the open car door.

"Woah. Easy there, Blondie. I didn't mean to scare ya." Merle coaxed as his attention was drawn from her surprised face to the exposed skin of her stomach.

Beth's shirt rode up when she was stretching but she didn't notice until she followed his line of sight. She quickly pulled her shirt down and looked around for an escape. Everyone else had grabbed the supplies from the bed of the truck and went to deposit them back into the shed behind the house. It was just her and Merle now. He had been decent over the weekend but he didn't have _that_ much self-control.

"You don't scare me." She decided not to depend on anyone else to defend her this time. She could handle this. Besides, if Merle was anything like his brother than he was harmless.

"Don't challenge me, girl." He smirked and moved past her to grab his bag from the bed of the truck.

Beth noticed the men turn the corner of the house and picked up on the last of the conversation that Rick and Daryl were having.

"Well you know where to find us when you get back." Rick nodded at Daryl, then walked inside the house. He had dropped Carl off with Lori before Beth woke up and now had to get ready for work tonight.

"You're leaving?" Beth asked as Daryl made his way back to the truck to grab his bag.

"Gotta get back to work tomorrow." Daryl wasn't good with goodbyes and he certainly wasn't trying to make a big deal out of this one while his brother was waiting for him in the car.

"When are you coming back?" Beth didn't like how desperate she sounded.

"Few weeks." He threw his crossbow over his shoulder and turned around to face her fully now.

"Oh."

They jumped simultaneously as Merle honked on the horn.

"Fuck." Daryl cursed under his breath.

"Quit scratchin your balls an' let's go!" Merle yelled from the car parked on the curb of the street.

"I gotta go." He backed away, unsure of what else to say or do.

Beth smiled sadly and waved him off. She didn't realize how much she had gotten used to having him around until he was leaving.

About a month passed since the hunting trip. Beth had transferred to Carl's school and was starting to make friends again. She buried herself in school work and house work to keep busy but it wasn't enough. She started asking around about afterschool activities or clubs and found out from the cheerleading coach that there was an opening on the squad. Coach Carol was an older woman with short grey hair. She had a daughter, Sophia, who was on the cheer squad too.

Beth had taken gymnastic classes when she was a little girl but she had never cheered before. Her friends from her old school were on the cheer team but she never had the nerve to try out. But now she was desperate to get out of the funk she was in. Her parents were dead but they would have wanted her to get back to her life. So she auditioned for the spot and she made it on the team.

Being on the cheer team and making friends had really helped Beth overcome her grief but the holidays were coming up and the thought of celebrating without her parents saddened her. Some of the fondest memories Beth had of her parents were of them spending Thanksgivings and Christmases at the farmhouse together with Maggie and her half-brother Shawn. But Maggie and Glenn were taking a trip to the Caribbean for Christmas and Shawn lived out of state with his dad so Beth had to make the best of what she had this year.

She planned to make Thanksgiving dinner for herself, Rick, and Carl next week. Rick had told her about the old boxed up Christmas decorations that were collecting dust in the shed behind the house so she made a mental note to get them out after Thanksgiving dinner. Maybe if they put on some Christmas music and put up the decorations together, she'd get in the holiday spirit.

Beth was getting ready for her last day of school before Thanksgiving break. It was Friday and she had to wear her cheerleading uniform for the pep rally after school. She put her hair up in her usual ponytail and braid combo then tied a big blue and white bow around her hair tie to represent the school's signature colors. She heard Rick walk into the house and assumed he was on the phone when she heard the muffled sound of his voice. She checked the time on her phone and grabbed her cheer jacket then headed for the kitchen. She had just enough time to make a quick breakfast for herself and Rick.

Beth was fumbling through the pantry when she heard Rick walk up behind her.

"Is oatmeal okay with you?" She asked before turning around and gasping at the man in front of her.

Daryl had to have been just as stunned as Beth because they both stood in the kitchen staring at each other for a few moments. He wasn't expecting her to be dressed like _that_ and he had to fight the urge to move his eyes from her face to her body.

"Oh, I thought I heard Rick." She said breathless.

"Ya did. He's upstairs." Daryl answered.

She went to move around him to start cooking so he stepped back and leaned the upper right half of his body against the wall.

"How're you?" He asked awkwardly.

"I'm okay." She answered honestly. "Are _you_ okay?"

"Just tired." He shrugged his shoulders.

Beth poured an extra serving of oatmeal into the pot for Daryl then began cutting some fruit to top it off with.

"How long are you staying in town?" She asked, afraid of hearing the answer. She silently hoped that he was going to be here long enough to spend the holidays with them.

"Till January." Daryl had been on the job long enough to earn some vacation time which he quickly cashed in for the holidays. He missed his little makeshift family more than he expected to.

Beth finished making breakfast just as Rick made it downstairs and into the kitchen. She noticed the time and poured her portion into a plastic container to take to-go because she was already running late for school. She smiled and said goodbye to the men in the kitchen then practically ran out of the door. She didn't know if it was the time or the archer in her kitchen that was causing her heart to beat rapidly but who was she kidding? Being late to class never made her heart race the way that only Daryl could.


	9. Chapter 9

Beth felt like the day was dragging on and on at school. She spent all morning watching the clocks religiously, wondering if she should pull the fire alarm and call it day. But she just laughed at her own stupidity and tried to get back to work on taking notes. The thought of seeing Daryl again was making her anxious and distracting her.

He looked… different. Beth thought he was good looking before, but now she swore she could melt into a puddle at the sight of him. His hair was washed and styled in a way that finally showed more of his face and he traded in his usual sleeveless flannel and angel wing vest for a plain white tee that still gave away a nice view of his biceps. If he looked this good in a plain white tee, Beth had to wonder how he looked in a suit. She'd probably have to die and haunt her own funeral to get a glimpse of that. And even then, the odds didn't look too great.

Finally, the bell rang and she was ready to sprint to her truck and race home. But Sophia was there waiting for her outside of the classroom to ruin Beth's escape plan.

"Are you ready for your first pep rally?" The coach's daughter asked as she looped her arm around Beth's and guided her towards the gym.

Beth had really only been on the squad for a little over a week and she felt confident that she had most of the cheers memorized but the thought of performing in front of the entire school made her nervous, especially because she was still new here.

"I guess." She replied, trying not to show as much doubt as she was feeling.

"What kind of spirit is that? Come on, you'll do great!" Sophia swore as they walked into the school's gym. It was no wonder that Sophia was the captain of the team and daughter of the coach. This girl was just naturally peppy.

Sophia was right though. Beth did do great, for her first time. She wasn't too pleased with the sloppy back handspring but she was getting better with practice. Beth was now in the girl's locker room packing the pompoms into her bag when she felt her phone vibrate. It was a text from Carl. He needed a ride home from school. _Great._ Another obstacle keeping her from going straight home.

She found him waiting for her by her truck a few minutes later. They exchanged greetings and small talk about the pep rally for a while.

"Can I ask you something?" Carl asked nervously after a few moments.

"Sure." Beth hoped that Carl wasn't going to bring up his mom's pregnancy because she really didn't want to be brought into something that had nothing to do with her.

"Has Sophia said anything to you… about me?" He asked, avoiding eye contact with Beth.

"Now that you mention it, she did say something about being head over heels in love with you." Beth joked.

Carl scoffed and she giggled. They talked for a few more minutes about the other cheerleader until Beth assured him that she'd drop some Carl-related hints to Sophia. He told Beth about how he and Sophia have known each other since grade school and how it wasn't until recently that he started developing feelings for the girl. Beth thought it was sweet that Carl was crushing on his childhood friend.

"What about you?" Carl asked.

"What about me?" Beth wasn't sure what he was getting at.

"Are there any guys at school that you like?" He clarified.

Beth thought about the question for a moment. Was there any guys at school that caught her attention? She shook her head.

"It doesn't matter. I know he looks at me and just sees another dumb girl." She said more to herself than Carl.

"Who?" Carl asked.

Beth shrugged her shoulders and Carl understood that the conversation was over.

But what she said was the truth. The more that Beth thought about it, the more she realized that her growing infatuation with Daryl was ridiculous. He was way older and more experienced than her. Sure, she's matured a lot since her parents died but that didn't mean that she could go around pursuing guys twice her age. She has to stop herself before she loses control of her feelings and gets her heart broken.

Beth arrived home much later than she would have preferred and to her dismay, Rick was upstairs sleeping and Daryl had left. Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing. She couldn't face him now that she was questioning her own intentions with the archer. She had to figure out what she was going to do with herself before seeing him again. But that didn't leave her much time because she knew that he would probably be back over for dinner in a few hours. She dropped her bag on the floor of her room and threw herself onto the bed. Carl's question had opened up her Pandora's Box and now she was left alone to gather up the contents and sort through them.

Beth wished she could call Maggie and talk to her older sister about this but she knew that Maggie would never approve. Better yet, Beth wished that she could talk to her mom. Annette was always open minded and trusted her daughter's judgements. Maybe she wouldn't be too happy with her daughter's pick but she would tell Beth to follow her heart because that's what she did with Hershel. So that's what she'll do, she decided. Follow her heart.

Beth was in the kitchen cooking dinner when she heard a knock at the door. She made a mental note to ask Rick to get a key made for Daryl. She also wanted to talk to Rick sometime soon about moving Carl in. The boy had mentioned to her once or twice about wanting to live with them but was worried about how his mom would feel about it.

"Hi." Beth greeted Daryl at the door and was pleased to see that he still looked the same as he had earlier that day.

"Hey." He mumbled as he moved past her to get into the house.

The pair made their way to the kitchen and Beth immediately opened the oven to check on the lasagna. When she saw that the dish still needed some time to cook, she closed the oven again then walked to the other side of the counter and pulled herself up to sit. Daryl was watching her from his usual spot on the wall.

"How'd ya learn how ta'cook?" He asked when the silence around them started becoming awkward.

"Momma taught me." Beth replied with a sad smile.

"And your dad?" Daryl found himself wanting to know more about the girl in front of him.

"My dad taught me how to ride horses." She answered while staring down at her dangling feet.

Rick appeared a moment later, dressed in his sheriff uniform.

"You guys are gonna have to eat without me. Got a call about shots fired in Woodbury." Rick said as he put on the belt that holds his gun and cuffs.

Woodbury was a small town on the edge of the county. Beth has heard horror stories about a crazy man in Woodbury who called himself The Governor. She remembers seeing on the news a couple of years ago that he murdered a man named Martinez. But he plead insanity in court and his lawyer, Andrea, was able to get him sent to a psychiatric facility for a while instead of prison. Beth was comforted knowing that it couldn't be The Governor causing trouble in Woodbury right now because he was still in the loony bin but she still felt uneasy as she watched Rick leave. She said a silent prayer for him and hoped that no one was hurt.

Daryl must have seen the worry on Beth's face because a spoke up a few moments after Rick left.

"Don't worry 'bout him. He's a tough son of a bitch." Daryl assured her.

Beth had been too lost in thought about Woodbury to process the fact that she and Daryl were about to have dinner together alone in the house. A couple of hours ago she had decided to follow her heart and now she felt like fate was telling her to go for it but her nerves were telling her to run and hide.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you guys so much for all the reviews. Yall are so sweet. I'm in love with this story and I hope you guys are too. This chapter is all BETHYL and its probably my favorite. Let me know what you think.**

 **WARNING: Daryl's abusive past is mentioned.**

Daryl sat across from Beth as they ate dinner alone together. When Rick told the two of them that he wouldn't be joining them for the meal, Daryl worried that it would be awkward and uncomfortable to be alone with Beth despite his efforts to make conversation with her before Rick interrupted them earlier. But she made sure that they never ran out of something to talk about at the table and her warm smile actually encouraged him to open up a little. He told her about his job and how he met Rick. But when Beth asked about his parents, he made sure that she knew that topic was off limits. She already knew what kind of man Merle was, couldn't she guess what kind of father they shared?

Daryl thought that Beth would think of him as weak and pathetic if she knew about the scars on his back. Or worse, she would pity him. Her life had been so perfect until her parents died, she wouldn't understand how someone could feel relief at their father's funeral instead of sorrow. And Daryl didn't only have scars on his body, his heart was covered in them. His mom had loved the bottle more than him and he watched their house burn down with her inside. His brother swore he was nothing like their father, yet he verbally abused Daryl still to this day, just like their father had when he was a kid. Daryl knew better than anyone that you didn't have to put your hands on someone to hurt them. Merle's been teaching him that lesson for a long time.

Daryl knew that he was nobody. Nothing. Some redneck asshole with an even bigger asshole for a brother. But when he was with Beth, he felt like so much more than that. Her eyes lit up when he spoke and she blushed when she caught him staring, which he never realize he was doing until her face reddened. He had a bad habit of staring and getting lost in his own thoughts. He was usually so quiet around people because he had never been good with words and he didn't want people thinking he was uneducated or stupid just because he had a thick redneck accent.

"So first, I say something I've never done and if you have done it, you lose the round. And if you haven't, I lose the round. Then we switch. It's really a drinking game but we don't have any alcohol. You really don't know this game?" Beth had come up with the idea to play this game when Daryl shut her down after she asked about his parents. She realized that she didn't know much about him. She knows he like to hunt, knows he drives a truck for a living, and knows he has a brother. But that's about all she knows about the man in front of her.

"I ain't never needed a game to get lit before." Daryl mumbled.

"Wait, are we starting?" Beth had to ask because Daryl's confession would have been a good first round.

"How do you know this game?" Daryl squinted his eyes at her with suspicion and pointed a finger at her. He knew she was too young to drink and she didn't look like the partying type.

"My friends played. I watched." She answered defensively. "Okay, I'll start. I've never drank alcohol. So now I'm winning." She knew that Daryl had drank before because he drank beer with Merle and Rick at the cabin last month.

"Ain't much of a game." Daryl knew that he and Beth were as different as day and night. They could go on and on with this game and there's no telling who would have the most points by the end of it.

"That was a warm-up. Now you go." She said.

"Hmm… I don't know." Daryl was chewing on his thumb and shrugged his shoulders. He didn't like this game already.

"Just say the first thing that pops into your head." Beth encouraged.

"I've never been on vacation." Daryl always wanted to go to Vegas for vacation but when he wasn't working, he liked being home to keep an eye on his brother and hang out with Rick.

"What about camping? The hunting trip we took like a month ago?" She questioned.

"Na. That's just something I like to do. I meant vacation out of Georgia, like Vegas or somewhere with a beach." He clarified.

"Okay. You win that time. We're tied now." Beth was keeping score. "I've never… been in a serious relationship before." She kept her eyes on her plate until a couple moments passed and Daryl hadn't said a word. She peeked up at him through her lashes and saw confusion and suspicion written all over his features.

"Well I mean, I went out with this guy from my old school a few times, Jimmy. But there was just too much pressure." She didn't know why she felt the need to explain herself but she guessed it was because Daryl still hadn't said anything after her confession.

"What'd he try to pressure you to do?" The words flew out of Daryl's mouth a fraction of a second after Beth finished speaking. He felt rage build up inside of him and held his breath for the answer.

"No, not pressure from him. But from my dad. He acted like I had to decide if Jimmy was 'the one' after only going out with him a couple of times. I guess he didn't like the idea of me with boys and just wanted me to know that it was either going to end in heartbreak or marriage. I didn't like the idea of either at the time so I stopped going out with Jimmy and haven't had a boyfriend since." Beth didn't like her dad being so overprotective of her back then but she'd give anything to listen to one of his _talks_ about boys again.

"I've never been in a relationship either." Daryl admitted.

"You're a virgin?!" She asked in disbelief.

"What? No. You don't gotta date someone to fuck 'em. Uh, I mean have sex." Daryl knew that the girl in front of him was mature, but he didn't realize just how innocent she is until now. He watched as her cheeks lit up bright pink and decided that he was tired of playing the game. He got up to put his plate in the sink then walked outside for a cigarette without another word.

When Daryl came back inside, Beth was washing the dishes. He didn't know if he should leave or stick around for a while. Their game had entered inappropriate territory moments ago and he wasn't sure how he felt about it.

"I should go." Daryl crossed his arms and looked down at his boots.

"You sure? I can put on a movie." Beth offered, again hating how desperate she sounded.

"I don't know." Daryl shrugged.

"I'll make popcorn." She bribed.

"M'kay." He reluctantly agreed.

It wasn't that he didn't want to stay and watch a movie with her. He just didn't feel right about it. He felt… guilty. Mostly because the little voice in the back of his mind was telling him that he didn't have completely pure intentions. He was attracted to this girl, this seventeen year old girl. He shouldn't feel this way. It's wrong.

Beth searched through the Netflix selection on the large TV in the living room. She browsed the action genre because she wasn't sure what kind of movies that Daryl liked but she was sure that it wasn't romance or comedy. They went through the list of action movies together and Daryl grunted every time she offered to play a movie that sounded decent.

"At this rate, we're never gonna get around to actually watching a movie." Beth huffed. She was sitting on the couch with her legs tucked under her while Daryl sat on the floor with his back leaning on the couch and his arms resting on his raised knees.

"Do you wanna watch somethin scary?" She was about to give up but Daryl nodded so she quickly looked through the horror genre and picked out the scariest looking movie she could find. This time, she didn't give Daryl a chance to protest.

The movie was labelled The Conjuring and Beth remembered her old friends telling her how scary it was. Her dad never let her watch scary movies but she didn't see the harm in it. She leaned over to turn the lamp off as the opening credits played.

By the end of the movie, Beth was terrified. Now she knows why her dad never let her watch these kind of movies. She thanked the heavens that Daryl had been there with her, even though he chuckled every time she jumped at a particularly scary scene.

Beth placed the empty popcorn bowl on the coffee table and switched the lamp back on.

"It's gettin late." Daryl said as he stood up, hinting that it was time for him to go.

"You can't leave." Beth exclaimed, horrified of being left alone now that she was already on edge from the movie.

"I gotta." Daryl said with a smirk.

"Please stay. You can sleep on the couch, you've done it before. Just don't leave me here alone." She begged.

Daryl shuffled from foot to foot, weighing his options. It's not a good idea, he knows that. But she looked so goddamn cute and helpless, how could he say no?

"I guess." Daryl felt like he had just sold his soul to the devil but the smile on her face was worth the hell fire he was sure he'd suffer for this.


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry for the wait, guys. I've been distracted. Also, this chapter is pretty short and I'm sorry for that too. Hope you guys like it. Thanks for reading.**

When Daryl opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was the smell of cinnamon heavy in the air. The next thing he noticed was that he wasn't at home, he was on Rick's couch. Memories of last night flooded his mind and he forced himself upright. It was still dark on the other side of the windows in the room. Daryl guessed it was around 5:30 in the morning. He looked across the room to the opening on the far wall and saw a little blonde head bobbing around the lit kitchen.

He hadn't meant to actually sleep the whole night here. He originally planned to leave once she was fast asleep, but Daryl couldn't manage the nerve to go to her room to check. He knew that either she would be sleeping and he would be free to go home, or she wouldn't be sleeping and he would have voluntarily taken himself into her room in the middle of the night. Would she have kicked him out for peeking into her room like a creep? Probably. Though a part of him hoped that if he had chosen to go to her room last night, she would have welcomed him. Daryl shook himself out of his thoughts and silently stood up and made his way to the bathroom to take a piss.

Beth was making breakfast in the kitchen, trying to be as quiet as possible. She knew that Daryl was still asleep but he would have to wake up soon if he didn't want Rick coming home to find him here. It's not like they did anything wrong, but it still didn't look good. Besides, it wasn't entirely innocent on her part. She had practically begged him to stay the night and it wasn't just because she was scared. She was hoping for… something, she just wasn't sure what that _something_ was. But she knew now that nothing was going to happen if she didn't make it known that she wanted something to happen.

Beth had hoped that Daryl would sit with her on the couch during the movie so she could subtly scoot closer during the real scary parts, but the stubborn man sat on the floor the whole time. She wondered if she should take that as a sign that he's not interested but she also couldn't deny the tension that filled the air when she caught him staring. He had to feel it too, or at least notice the way she blushed every time.

Beth pulled the cinnamon buns out of the oven and released her hands from the oven mitts. She decided that she needed to wake Daryl up now but just as she turned to make her way out of the kitchen, her body ran into another, much bigger and harder body. She nearly fell back but rough hands grabbed her by the waist, steadying her, before she could fall. Beth moved her hands to lay over Daryl's on her waist. She slowly brought her eyes up to meet his and for a moment, she thought he was going to kiss her. His eyes were trained on her lips and the tension was thick around them again.

When Daryl didn't make a move towards her, Beth gathered up all of her nerve and decided that she would be the one to make the move. She followed his example by moving her eyes to his lips and inched her face closer to his, leaning in for a kiss. But he didn't give her the chance. He saw her face moving towards his and quickly back away, letting go of her waist. The pain of rejection was clear on her face.

"We can't." Daryl said, avoiding eye contact with Beth.

"It's okay. I get it now." Beth said with bitterness in her tone as she nodded her head.

"It ain't right." He tried to reason with her.

"How would you know if you won't give it a try?" She argued.

Daryl wanted to say something, try to make her see, but he could hear the garage door opening. Rick was home. Beth must have heard it too because she quickly turned away from him to attend to the cinnamon rolls. Daryl rushed to the couch to grab the sheet he used as a blanket last night and took long strides towards Beth room to throw it inside. He paused for a moment at her door frame to take in the sight before him. Despite only living her for a short while, her room appeared as though she had been here her whole her life. Pictures of her friends and family were hung on the walls and an assortment of stuffed animals were placed on her neatly made bed. She had trophies and awards placed on the shelves and her vanity was covered in perfumes and beauty supplies.

Daryl closed the door and walked into the kitchen just in time. Rick appeared a moment later and shot Daryl a questioning look.

"You're here early." Rick observed but it sounded more like a question.

"Got in a fight with Merle." Daryl hated lying to his friend but he didn't know how Rick would feel if he knew that Daryl stayed for Beth.

"At six in the morning?" Rick was skeptical.

"Dumbass has been up since yesterday, high on dope again." Daryl hoped Rick would drop it. He wasn't a good liar.

Rick nodded and greeted Beth.

"Cinnamon rolls aren't much of a meal but it's all we have. We need to shop for groceries soon." Beth said innocently like she hadn't just tried to kiss his best friend.

Rick excused himself to change out of his work clothes, leaving Beth and Daryl alone together again. The tension that filled the air earlier turned awkward and uncomfortable. Daryl really didn't want to stop her advance but he had to do the right thing despite how hard it had been. He thought about spewing hurtful words at her but he had done that before and it did nothing but cause trouble. He swore to himself weeks ago that he wouldn't try to push her away again but he never imagined that not pushing her away would lead to her trying to get too close.

Daryl thought that the attraction he felt was one-sided but he was wrong. If it was one-sided, he could handle it. Being around a woman that he desperately wanted was easy to ignore or push aside. But now that he knows that she wants him too, it's going to be hard to keep his distance. Every time he looks at her, he's going to be reminded of what it could have been like to let her kiss him.

"Beth…" Daryl started.

"I'll be gone someday." Beth interrupted.

"Stop." He pleaded.

"I will. I'll be eighteen soon, a legal adult, and I'm graduating in the spring. Nothing's keeping me here. You're gonna miss me so bad when I'm gone, Daryl Dixon." She swore and walked away.


	12. Chapter 12

**THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS. The next chapter is gonna be... intense. :)**

Beth went back to bed after finishing off the cinnamon rolls and replayed the entire scene with Daryl in her head. It hurt her more than she'd care to admit that he refused to kiss her. If he was feeling guilty about, he had no need to be. _She_ was the one that came onto _him_. And she knows he wanted it, she could tell. That's why his eyes were fixed on her lips, that's why she felt compelled to do what he wouldn't. She supposed it didn't matter now. She was never going to try that again. If in fact the two of them kissed in the future, it would be because _he_ initiated it, not her.

Beth had sworn to him that she would leave one day, that he would regret not giving her a chance because she won't stick around to wait for him. Once she is old enough not to need a legal guardian and has her diploma, she'll be free to go. Maybe she'll go stay with Maggie and Glenn in Atlanta. Or maybe she'll use the money that her mom and dad left her when they passed away to get an apartment somewhere close to the college of her choosing. Either way, like she said, nothing -or better- no one was keeping her here.

Or maybe she is just being dramatic. Maybe Daryl was right, it would be wrong for them to be together. He's old enough to be her father. But to be fair, her father was old enough to be Daryl's father. It's all very mind-numbing, the age difference debate. It shouldn't matter, it _doesn't_ matter… not to her. But if it did to him, than fine. He knows what she wants from him on her eighteenth birthday. Could she wait that long? Her birthday is in January. He'll be back on the road by then. Something told her that seducing him into giving her an early birthday / Christmas kiss wasn't going to be easy. Especially because she's never seduced anyone in her entire life.

Hmm… maybe she couldn't seduce him, but she _could_ make him jealous. She's already seen a very protective / territorial side of him when it comes to her. The way he acted when those creeps almost violated her during the hunting trip was a clear indicator of that. Then again, he could have just done what any decent human being would do by protecting her.

There was a lot of 'maybes' going on in her thoughts right now but one thing was certain: Beth had a very good chance of making Daryl jealous enough to stake his claim. But the thought of toying with some poor boys feelings just to get to Daryl was unnerving. She wasn't that cold hearted and childish. She wondered if she could talk Carl into helping her out by pretending that they had a thing for each other when Daryl was around, but that would mean that she would have to tell Carl about her feelings for Daryl and she wasn't going to do that.

A metaphorical light bulb went off above Beth's head just then. She thought back to the time when Carl asked her if there were any guys at school that she was interested in. If she told him that she had an infatuation for his friend, Ron Anderson, then Carl would try to set them up. And it wouldn't harm her conscious because Ron was the biggest jerk at school. She didn't have to worry about hurting his feelings because she was pretty sure he had none. She had no idea why Carl was friends with a guy like Ron but it didn't matter now. Beth grabbed her phone off of the night stand next to her bed and quickly searched for Carl's name.

They texted back and forth for a while after she _confessed_ the name of the guy she talked about that day when she drove him home from school.

BETH: RON ANDERSON

CARL: REALLY?!

BETH: YEAH, WHY?

CARL: I MEAN, HE'S MY FRIEND BUT HE'S KINDA AN ASS

BETH: WELL HE'S ALWAYS BEEN SWEET TOWARDS ME

Lie. Ron wasn't blatantly rude towards her but he was annoyingly flirtatious, just like he was with all the girls at school, especially the cheerleaders. He obviously thought that he was a god of some sorts but really, he looked like a troubled kid with daddy issues.

BETH: DON'T TELL HIM THAT I LIKE HIM. JUST BRING HIM OVER FOR DINNER AND I'LL DO THE REST

CARL: OKAY NO PROBLEM

BETH: I'LL INVITE SOPHIA TOO

CARL: COOL

Daryl needed some space. Some time to think. He wanted to go hunting so bad to clear his head but he told Rick that he'd be back for dinner tonight since Rick missed last night's meal. Daryl really missed his friend but the night shift was keeping him occupied since Lori left. He isn't the same man he was before but Daryl had faith that Rick would find someone soon and he'd get back to the man he used to be. As for Daryl… he was convinced that he'd be joining Rick soon in his wanting-a-woman-he-can't-have phase of sulking and he definitely wasn't going to find someone else any time soon. Women that took interest in him only came around once in a blue moon. And right now, that woman was Beth. Just his luck.

Daryl wasn't interested in finding another woman to take his mind off of Beth anyway. It'd be useless, he was already hooked. He felt his attraction to her on that first day when he watched her in the kitchen making breakfast for him in her short cotton shorts that gave off a perfect view of her long legs. And when she embraced him from behind that night of the incident back at the hunting grounds, he never thought that he would experience compassion like that from someone who had no reason to give it to him. In fact, he had given her every reason to hate him. But she didn't. Quite the opposite actually.

He still couldn't wrap his mind around it. Beth, the sweetest and prettiest girl he's ever met, liked him. Why did she have to be so young? She mentioned turning eighteen soon, but that didn't give him any peace of mind. She would still be a teenager in his eyes, despite being a legal adult in the eyes of the law. She also mentioned having no reason to stick around after graduation. That final comment, about being gone someday, had actually scared the hell out of him. He didn't want to lose her now that he just found her, even if he can't have her in the way he wanted. She was the only good thing in his life right now. She had become the light in his dark, cruel world.

When Daryl walked up the steps to the front door of the Grime's house, he heard laughter from multiple people inside. He recognized one of the voices as Beth's and another belonged to Carl. But that didn't explain the other voices or the unfamiliar cars parked out front that he just took notice of. Daryl knocked loud so that it could be heard over the laughter in the house. Carl was the one who answered the door. He had a grin on his face the size of the United States as he motioned for Daryl to come in. Daryl followed the voices and laughter into the formal dining room that usually went unused.

Much to his surprise, there was an extra pair teenagers sitting at the table with Beth. Carl reclaimed his seat next to a girl with freckles and short hair. Or was it long hair? Daryl didn't really give a shit because his attention was immediately brought the boy sitting way too damn close to Beth right now. Beth finally took notice of Daryl standing in the entry way and the smile that was plastered on her face fell at the sight of him. She looked… guilty? But only for a second. She was smiling again the moment that she looked away and focused her attention back on the boy next to her.

Daryl felt like he was imagining shit right now. She had just tried to kiss him earlier that day, and now she was acting like some dumb college bitch looking for smooch! She couldn't get it from him so now she's just going to try her luck on the next fella? Rage was filling him, threatening to boil over if he didn't look away. The four kids didn't even notice when he stormed off, on the hunt for Rick.

Again, he took the steps two at a time on his way up to Rick's room and didn't bother knocking. He found the sheriff buckling his belt as he walked out of the master bathroom into the bedroom that he no longer shared with his wife.

"What the hell is goin' on down there!?" Daryl demanded with clenched fists.

"Beth and Carl wanted some friends over for dinner." Rick shrugged. "That not okay?"

Daryl realized how uncontrolled his anger was becoming and quickly took a deep breath before he gave away too much to Rick.

"It's been a shit day. I just wanted ta'have a quiet dinner with ya'll then go home and get some rest. I ain't got the patience to watch a bunch of horny teenagers giggle and flirt with each other all night." Daryl wanted to feign indifference but it was a little too late for that. Might as well put it out there.

Rick smirked at the other man in the room and grabbed his sheriff hat off the dresser on his way towards the door.

"Well c'mon then. Best not to leave the 'horny teenagers' alone for too long. God knows what they'll do without adult supervision..." Rick joked.

Daryl grimaced, wishing he had brought his crossbow.


	13. Chapter 13

**PLEASE READ: I received a pretty negative review today about last chapter. I just want to say that if you don't like the direction that my story is going, just stop reading. There is no need to leave reviews calling my characters** ** _stupid._** **Yes, Beth did something childish by trying to make Daryl jealous but lets not forget that she is just a teenage girl and an inexperienced one at that. Also, in the show on AMC, Beth was viewed as** ** _childish_** **when she had Daryl running around with her looking for booze after the prison fell. I am doing my best to draw from the show for inspiration for this story. Thank you for you for reading. The Bethyl ship sails in the last part of this chapter so please enjoy.**

Dinner that night was maddening for Daryl. He tried so hard to ignore the young ones that talked and laughed amongst themselves but damn it that Ron kid was asking for a broken arm. He could tell that Beth had no real interest in the boy. He could read her body language like a book. She tried to inch away from Ron as often and subtly as she could and the smile she flashed at the little punk never reached her eyes.

Daryl also noticed the way she was watching him from the corner of her vision. It only made him angrier, knowing that she was looking for a rise out of him. He had put the puzzle pieces together not even five minutes after they started on their meal. He's not as stupid as people thought. As childish as the whole thing was, he had to give her some credit. It was working. He was livid. Livid at Ron for even thinking that he had a chance with an angel like Beth. And livid at Beth for trying to play stupid games with him. She was better than this.

After dinner, Rick left for work and Daryl retired outside for his usual smoke break. He was enjoying the peace and quiet for about two seconds before Ron opened the door to join him in the back yard.

"Got another one of those?" Ron asked with his hands thrown in the pockets of his hoodie.

"Na." Daryl took the half-smoked cigarette out of him mouth then threw it on the ground to be stomped on. He then pulled out his fully stocked pack of smokes and lit up a brand new one, letting Ron know that he had plenty, but wasn't going to share.

"It's cool, man. Sheriff Grimes left." Ron tried to convince Daryl, clearly not understanding that Daryl was not in the sharing mood. The boy really just wasn't that smart at all.

"Rick ain't the one you ought ta'worry about." Daryl gave Ron his best I-will-fuck-you-up glare then intentionally and roughly bumped shoulders with him on his way back inside. The punk was lucky he got to walk away with his life tonight. Daryl was in no mood.

"Go home. I'm tired an' I ain't about to babysit." Daryl announced to the group as he walked inside of the house. Rick had already made it clear to everyone that when Daryl, the only remaining adult, leaves then the rest must follow. Even Carl. He was only there for dinner tonight. He wouldn't be staying over until the following weekend, for Thanksgiving. Daryl noticed Beth let out a sigh of relief at his announcement. He could tell that she was ready to be rid of Ron.

Daryl's energy was completely drained. The day's affairs had been nothing but headache after headache and he couldn't wait for it to be over. He watched as Carl shyly offered to walk Sophia to her car. Beth snuck off to the bathroom, probably to avoid an awkward goodbye with Ron. When Daryl saw the kid looking for Beth, he quickly stepped in.

"Do I really gotta kick your ass out?" Daryl growled.

"Just want to thank Beth for dinner before I go." Ron gave Daryl his best I-don't-give-a-shit attitude but he couldn't deny that the man in front of him was intimidating.

"I'll let'er know." Daryl took a step closer, hoping he could get Ron to back away towards the door. Thankfully, the kid took the hint.

"Whatever." Ron made it to the door just as Carl was coming back inside from walking Sophia out. The two boys exchanged "later's" and "See ya's."

When Beth came back out, she and Carl went to work on cleaning the kitchen and washing the dishes. Daryl listened as they talked about Sophia but he wasn't interested in their teenage gossip. He'd rather step out for a smoke while he waited for Carl to be ready to leave. Daryl told the boy that he would drive him home so that Beth wouldn't have to. But if Carl didn't hurry up, Daryl was going to drag him out by his shaggy hair.

Beth was in her room changing into her pajamas thirty minutes after everyone left. For once, she wished that she wasn't alone with her thoughts right now. She felt so guilty and foolish. From the moment that Ron had shown up at her house, she regretted her silly plan. The lust in his eyes and the way he was always physically too close to her made her ridiculously uncomfortable and the fact that she had to act like it wasn't bothering her in front of Daryl made it so much worse. And Daryl! Oh god, the look on his face when he first walked in was enough to make her squirm in serious discomfort.

But Beth couldn't take it back, now. What's done is done. Maybe Daryl didn't even think anything of it. It wasn't like she was flirting with Ron in an overly obvious way. Really, she was just being her usual friendly self. It was Ron who was being obnoxiously flirty with her. Regardless, Beth had messed up tonight. Now that she was dressed in her sleepwear, she threw herself onto her bed and into the army of stuffed animals, begging dreamless sleep to take her.

What a short lived moment of peace that was. Beth's bedroom door was thrown open in a rage. She shot up from her lying position on the bed and her eyes instantly landed on Daryl's glaring face. He started pacing around in front of her, trying to control his temper. After dropping Carl off with Lori, Daryl decided to come back. He needed to let his anger out somehow and what better person to take it out on than the person who caused it. Beth remained sitting on the bed, petrified. She watched as Daryl paced around with his eyes glued on her like she was the prey that he was hunting.

"What the hell was all that about?" He sounded much calmer than he looked.

Silence.

"You like messin' with me? This some kinda game to you?" He demanded angrier than before.

More silence.

"What do you want from me, girl!?" He was yelling now.

"I want you to stop actin' like you don't give a crap about me! Like nothing we have between us matters! Like none of the things we feel for each other mean anythin' to you! It's bullshit!" Beth had rose from her bed and was now face to face with the man in front of her, her chin held high. He was intimidating her but she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of knowing that.

"Is that what you think?" He asked, quieter now.

"That's what I know." She nodded her head, not backing down.

"You don't know nothin'." He was in her face, daring her to say one more goddamn word.

She didn't even get the chance. His mouth was on hers not a moment later. It was not sweet, it was not gentle. If she wanted him, than she was going to have to learn that he was not some seventeen year old kid like Ron. He wasn't going to whisper sweet nothings in her ear and he wasn't going to tiptoe around her like she's made of glass. Daryl had one rough hand gripping her waist and another slightly tugging her hair so that her head was pulled back and her mouth was open for him. He groaned in delight when Beth began kissing him back. Her lips were small and soft and he relished in the moment but it didn't last long. She brought her hands up to his chest and gave him a gentle push.

Daryl let go of his claim on her mouth and rested his forehead on hers while they both fought to catch their breath. Beth felt like a pool of the girl she once was, melted from the heat that Daryl sparked inside of her. It was euphoric. They stayed like that for another minute before Daryl surprised himself by bringing his hands up to cup her face and plant a soft kiss to her lips. He was angry when he attacked her a moment ago, and it wasn't fair for him to handle her roughly the way he did.

"I need ta'go." Daryl whispered, trying to back away from Beth.

"No, you need to stay." Beth giggled and pulled him back towards her and the bed.


	14. Chapter 14

**It has been FOREVER since I've updated and I am sorry for that. This is my first story and I love it but I always feel so much pressure because I know that my writing isn't perfect and I also lost some inspiration for this story so I took a loooong break but I am back and I am going to try to not disappear again. Thanks for reading.**

Daryl felt like he was having an out-of-body experience, like he was watching the scene play out in front of him as part of an audience. He could see Beth nervously smiling at him while pulling him towards the bed. He saw himself reluctantly taking slow steps to follow her. His body was acting on its own accord but the rational part of his mind was searching for ways to escape the mess he got himself into.

The back of Beth's knees hit the side of the bed and her bottom crashed onto the mattress. A moment after she lifted her chin so that she could comfortably look up and make eye contact with Daryl, the air around them shifted. The tension was disappearing and now the vulnerability was evident on Beth's face. She had no intention of doing anything more than kiss Daryl when she dragged him towards the bed but she didn't want to continue without being honest with him first.

"I'm sorry for makin' you mad. But I don't regret it because it led to this." Beth gave a shy smile and interlocked her fingers with Daryl's as he stood paralyzed right in front of her. "Do you… have any regrets about what happened here tonight?" She asked nervously.

Daryl looked down at their conjoined hands and thought about the question for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. When his lips crashed into hers, it felt like electricity was flowing from her body into his and he can see himself easily getting addicted to that feeling. Maybe in the moment he didn't regret it because it felt so good, but could he find himself regretting it in the future? That is exactly why he had to get out of that bedroom right now. He needed to breathe and come down from the high that he got from kissing her. He needed to think clearly.

"I gotta go." Daryl's voice was soft and rough all at the same time and Beth wished that he had said something completely different in that voice. Their hands slowly separated as he backed away and she felt the butterflies abandon her stomach all at once; it left Beth feeling so utterly empty, she became slightly nauseous.

Daryl raced outside almost as quickly as he had stormed in minutes ago. He allowed the fresh, chilled air to fill his lungs for a few moments before lighting a cigarette and taking off into the night. Everything he feels right now and everything he's felt since meeting Beth is completely foreign to him. He only knows that he feels out of control of himself and the only thing he could think to do to get back in control was hunt. It was dark and he wasn't technically allowed to hunt in the woods surrounding the town, but Daryl pulled over on the side of the county road anyway. He grabbed his crossbow and took off into the trees.

By morning, Daryl was filthy. He had spent all night chasing squirrels and rabbits and came out of the woods empty handed. He was just too distracted to focus clearly. Thankfully, Merle was passed out when Daryl made it back to the apartment and he was able to make it from the front door to the bathroom in peace. When he spotted his reflection in the dirty mirror, Daryl couldn't believe the bags under his eyes. He looked like he skipped more than just one night of sleep.

See? This is what Beth does to him! She gets him all wound up and drives him to the brink of insanity and it's probably all just a big game to her. Who was he kidding? She's _seventeen_. It doesn't matter that she'll be an adult in a couple of months, she's too young; doesn't even know what she's getting herself into, chasing after a grown man who has never known love in his entire life. And what the hell had he been thinking?! Had he been thinking at all? He doesn't recall making the conscious decision of letting Beth get into his head. She just snuck up on him and now he doesn't know how to get her out.

Daryl stood under the shower head and let the hot water wash over his body. He quickly lost himself in thought. Closing his eyes, Daryl took himself back to that first day at Rick's house. When Beth had answered the door instead of Rick, curiosity hit him like a ton of bricks and he's never really stopped being curious about her since then. That's probably how he got to where he is today, regarding Beth. He's been drawn to her since day one. Beth is like a breath of fresh air to Daryl. She's kind. She's lost so much but her energy is positive and compassionate. She forgave him and comforted him when he did horrible things to make her hate him. But Beth wasn't capable of hate. Daryl, on the other hand, was used to things being ugly. Hate came more naturally for him than love.

By the time his body was clean and the water had turned ice cold, Daryl finally decided what he should do in this situation after looking at it from every angle. He knows what society would say about a man his age and a girl Beth's age but they don't know shit as far as Daryl's concerned. He's not trying to take advantage of a young girl and he's not a pervert. He didn't choose to pursue her. She pursued him. But he's never cared about what people thought so why should he start now? The only opinion that would slightly weaken his resolve was Rick's. It won't make a difference anyway. Daryl is going to do what Daryl does best: destroy good things for himself. Only this time, he's doing it for Beth's sake. He's no good for her. He's a redneck asshole and Beth's a southern belle. It won't work.

After dressing, Daryl crawled into his bed and thought about how he wanted to put some distance between he and Beth. He didn't want to push her away like he had tried to do before. That had only ended in disaster. He also didn't want to completely stop seeing her and going over to Rick's every other day. They were the closest thing that Daryl had to a real family, apart from Merle. He had to do the mature thing and tell her that whatever it was that was going on between them had to stop. Was Daryl capable of doing the mature thing? He guessed that he'd be finding out soon.


	15. Chapter 15

**WARNING: SELF HARM / SUICIDE MENTIONED IN THIS CHAPTER.**

 **PLEASE, if you are easily triggered, DO NOT READ.**

 **I didn't add this dimension of Beth for fun. I wanted to stay true to the show. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Let me know what you think.**

Beth stayed sitting on the edge of her bed like a statue after Daryl walked out on her. She let her eyes become unfocused as she stared at the wall and got caught up in her emotions. Maybe it was dramatic, or maybe it was real, but Beth felt like she was mourning again. Not the death of her parents this time, but the exhilaration that swirled around in her stomach when Daryl claimed her mouth. Ecstasy had come crashing through her like a wave and Beth swore that she's never felt anything like it.

In that moment, she thought that she won the grand prize. She finally got Daryl to admit that he feels something real for her. She thought that they would be able to move forward from there and become something more. She hoped that maybe he could eventually fill the gaping hole that was left in heart from the loss of her parents and maybe she could do the same for him.

 _That's how incredibly stupid I am,_ she thought to herself.

Beth's not actually stupid. She's just the type of person that feels deeply and passionately and it leaves her vulnerable. Most people's hearts harden after breakage or loss. Not Beth's. Her heart is big and sensitive but it's defenseless. When it gets broken, she feels the pain down to her bones and it is excruciating. A heart like Beth's is a blessing and a curse.

She was so strongly connected to her family, especially Hershel and Annette. No one but Maggie knows how deeply their deaths affected Beth.

 _The pain was relentless for Beth and it drove her to the edge. The way she saw it, she had two options. She could walk away from the edge and live with the aching pain for the rest of her life, or she could jump._

 _She just wanted to turn it off. The pounding of her head. The aching of her heart. She didn't want to feel anything anymore. So she jumped._

 _For a minute, she just watched the blood spill from her veins. The sight and the feeling of her wrist being cut open allowed her to feel nothing, temporarily. It was peace like she had never known. Everything around her blurred into insignificance like she was hypnotized by the blood._

 _When Maggie heard glass shatter, she instantly knew what it meant. She ran to the bathroom to get to her sister but the door wouldn't budge. She began yelling for Beth to open the door but Beth didn't even hear her in her state of hypnotism._

 _"_ _Beth! Move away from the door!" She yelled before bringing her foot up to kick the door in with all of her strength._

 _What Maggie saw when the door flew open was a sight that she will never be able to forget. Her little sister stood in the middle of the small bathroom with broken pieces of mirror scattered on the floor around her. Beth was pale as a ghost and her eyes didn't leaver her wounded arm. Maggie took two large strides towards her little sister and shook her by the shoulders, desperately hoping to wake her from the spell she was under._

 _It worked. When Beth looked up into her sister's worried eyes, all of the emotion that had disappeared earlier came back with a vengeance. Grief. Despair. And now guilt._

 _"_ _I'm sorry." Beth began to sob, grabbing onto her bleeding wrist._

 _That night as Glenn comforted the oldest Greene sister, he mention a grief counselor that he knew of through a friend of a friend. Glenn spoke highly of the woman who had lost her 2 year old son and had fought tooth and nail to get through the pain. The next morning, Maggie googled Dr. Michonne, the grief counselor in Woodbury._

 _Beth saw Dr. Michonne twice a week for a month. In the beginning of her sessions with the doctor, Beth found herself wanting to cut again simply because of the numbing that it caused that first time she did it. She wanted nothing more than another moment of peace, a moment of painless serenity. But Dr. Michonne had walked Beth through the process of accepting death and moving on._

 _Beth and Michonne had made a connection that the doctor didn't usually make with her other patients. She sent Beth off to face her grief alone from here on out with nothing but a business card with her number on it. She hoped that Beth wouldn't need it one day but if she did, she hoped that she would call._

 _When her counselling came to an end, Beth began packing up their family's home and convincing Maggie that she could live comfortably with Rick Grimes. Maggie had to trust that Beth would be alright. She knew that the worst thing she could do for her little sister was force her into a new environment while still in the process of saying goodbye to her old life._

Beth was still blankly staring at the wall as she recalled her suicide attempt. Oh how she wished that she could access that numbness again. But she knew that the only way to do that was self-harm and she refused to ever let herself reach rock bottom like that again.

Beth finally moved from her spot on the bed. She walked over to where her wallet lied on the chair in the corner of her room. For good measure, she pulled out the business card that Dr. Michonne had given her months ago. She never called. But looking at the card helped her think clearly in moments of possible relapse.

She stared at the card as rational thoughts finally came flooding into her mind.

How had she not realized that Daryl wasn't the answer to her problems? He was a beautiful distraction, at the very least but being with him wasn't going to magically fix the damage in her soul. That was something that she had to do for herself. Or maybe time was the answer? She wasn't sure anymore. But one thing was for certain: Beth Greene was way too damaged to seek a relationship right now. She was still healing.

Letting a man into her heart at this moment in her life was like a relapse waiting to happen.

In the end, Beth was thankful for Daryl's storm out. If he didn't leave when he did, Beth would have given him every piece of her that she had left, hoping that he could put the pieces back together. But the only person capable of putting the pieces back together was her. She had to focus on herself first. Finding love could come later.

Beth admitted to herself that she and Daryl had a lot to discuss the next time that he came over to the house. But for now, sleep was calling her name and Beth couldn't think of a better feeling than dreamless sleep in this exact moment. She just hoped that piercing blue eyes weren't what she saw as soon as she closed her own eyes.


End file.
